Improvement in compounds for unhairing hides and skins



PATENTDFFI Enabler MOWER, o-F CAMDEN, Assrenon on ONE-HALF Hrsnrenrro MILES BLODGETT, OF SANDY CREEK, NEW YORK- lMPRQVEM EiNT IN COMPOUNDS Fo R UNHAIRING HlDES AND SKINS a Specification forming part of Letters Patent No; 158,648, dated J anuary 12, 1875; application filed April 11, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, HENRY MOWER, of

Camden, county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compound for Unhairing tiethatwvi ll holctmie pin tortnore', 'etearwhitc' I glass being the best.

Have a half-inch lead pipe twelveto. fifteen inches long, and fit one- .end air-tight in the mouth of the bottle. Bend; this pipe so that the other end will enter the lime in the pail, one orv two inches below the surface of the lime. Place four ounces of sulphuret of iron into the bottle, and cover thesame well with water. Add sulphuric acid sufficient'to causethe contents to boil.

Then fasten the lead tube in the bottle, and

let the otherend into the lime, as above stated.

v The sulphuric acid, when in contact with water andsulphuret of iron, will generate a gas, which is conveyed through the tube to the lime and colors" the lime blue. The lime being an ab sorbent, the gas unites with the flour of lime. This operation should be performed in the open air, as it has a disagreeable odor. When the action in the bottle ceases and the contents bei come dry, add water and sulphuric acid, as at first; but should any water remain in the bottle after the action ceases, pour off the water and add water and sulphuric acid, as above, and continue the operation until the sulphuret of iron is all consumed. The lime is stirred occasionally, so as to mix the gas through the lime.

In order to test the strength of the thusprepared lime, if sufficiently charged with the gas it will, if a small quantity be put on the arl'n,remove the hair, if any, in 'five or six Blake one pound of quicklime by minutes, causing no pain or doing no harm to the skin.

One gallon of the above-prepared lime will be sufficient to strengthen from five to six gallens of lime prepared after-the common mode for liming hides.

The above proportions may be followed for preparing any quantity required.

' To prepare large quantities of the preparedlirnc,-for one barrel slake thirty-two pounds of quicklime by adding one gallon of hot water to each pound of lime.

As there is a difierence in the quality of lime, the operator will have to use his judgment in preparing it to do the work intended.

Hides in my process of liming should be handled often or the best way is to have two '"iimes Iu'cparedinadjoiniug vats and handle from one vat to the other once an hour for four to six hours, and occasionally after, as this process works rapidly, and by being handled often-will lime more uniform. The foregoing exhibits thstate of the art. For harness, upper, and calf-skins add lye as follows: For a pack of one hundred and fiftyv sides of upper-leather, harness, or calf-skins add lye from ashes or potash dissolved in water, from ten to fifteen gallons. Renew the lime by adding of the prepared lime from three to six gallons for every new pack to be limed, which will keep the lime in good working condition. This process, as specified, will lime sole-leather hides in from ten to twenty-four hours, harness and upper leather hides in from six to fifteen hours, calf-skins in from three to six hours. All depends on the strength of the lime and being properly handled.

Sole-leather hides, when uuhaired, are. to be rinsed in cold water, when they are ready for. the tanning process. Harness and upper leather and skins, when uuhaired, are to be immersed in clear water and worked on the flesh side. When worked they are to be putin avat of clean warm water and allowed-to remain therein for a short time, and then the grain side ning process. v

and

To pull wool, spread the flesh side u sufficient togive a slippery feeling to the lime worked, when they will be ready for the tanthis bathing and excessive labor,

' apply a thin coating of the prepared lime with.

a brush. In about one hour'the wool will come off easy, after which the's'kin is immersed in water the same as calf-skins and both sides worked, ready for the tanning process. 3

In the old method of liming the hides become so impregnated with lime that much bathin g and labor are required to reduce them sufficient to make good leather; but in my process the hides, rise rapidly and remain soft without Lime, though an insoluble ingredient, can; not be dispensed with, as it isan absorbent, uniting with the gas generated by the action of the sulphuric acid;.sulphuret of; iron, and water. Lye, -bein g a soluble alkali, penetrates, cleanses, and softens, in connection with lime in removing the hair, and will 'readily wash out with water, as specified. Sulphuris very penetrating and softening. Iron is important in connection with sulphur in making s'ulph uret' of iron and making gas. .JSuIphuric acid in this process is an important ingredient in prepariug hides for the tanning process, and in con nection v'iith the sulphuret of iron in making Theiabove ingredients, prepared as specified, prepare hides perfectly for tanning, and ,do not destroy the gelatine in the hide-simply dis solves the roots of the hair, and the hide retains all its weight and strength.

This preparation-i isespecially adapted for dry hides, as the ingredients,.cxcept lime, have softening qualities, which 'o erpower' the lime i and raise and plump the hides, so that they will be and remain soft audpliablc.

By mypreparation the costof preparing the hides for tanning'is materially reduced, and considerable time and labor saved; and the tanning proces's.will, if the hides have previously been prepared by my process, take onethird less time, and will produce leather of betterweight, color, and quality.

Having thus fully described my invention, v 

